Inhibition and stimulation by 5-bromodeoxyuridine of erythropoiesis by chick blood island cells

Summary Erythropoiesis in liquid cultures of cell populations resolved from chick blastodiscs at the primitive streak and head-fold stages was totally inhibited by 5–8 g/ml of 5-bromodeoxyuridine. However, concentrations of 0.2 /ml of the nucleoside enhanced the number of erythroid cells formed.This work was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council and National Research Council of Canada. We thank MissesK. Beall andN. N. McGrath for technical assistance. S. D. W. is an Associate of the Medical Research Council.     

Alpha-tocopherol: Its inhibition on human platelet aggregation

Summary Alpha-tocopherol inhibits human platelet aggregation induced by arachidonate sodium, collagen, epinephrine, adenosine diphosphate or thrombin — arachidonate sodium being the most susceptible. The second phase of the biphasic platelet aggregation induced by epinephrine or adenosine diphosphate is preferentially inhibited.This work was supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada, Quebec Medical Council, and a Fraser Scholarship, McGill University. I thank Drs.K. N. Drummond andS. O'Regan for their comments.     

Effect of a sesquiterpene fromAristolochia indica Linn. on fertility in female mice

Summary A sesquiterpene isolated from the roots ofAristolochia indica (Linn.) was found to exert 100% interceptive activity and 91.7% anti-implantation activity in mice at a single oral dose of 100mg/kg b. wt. No toxic effect was found at the dose levels used.The authors wish to thank Dr S. C. Pakrashi and his associate Mr P. P. Ghosh Dastidar of Medicinal Chemistry Department for isolating the compound for this study. Thanks are also due to Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research for granting a Junior Research Fellowship to C.S.     

Cytotoxic action of nucleic acids

Zusammenfassung Mit einer letalen Dosis von Dimethyl-Myleran vorbehandelte Mäuse überleben nach Transfusion isologer Knochenmarkzellen. Wirken Nukleinsäurenin vitro auf die Knochenmarkzellen ein, so ist ihre lebenserhaltende Kapazität vermindert.

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This investigation was supported by grants to the Chester Beatty Research Institute (Institute of Cancer Research: Royal Cancer Hospital, London) from the Medical Research Council, the British Empire Cancer Campaign, the Anna Fuller Fund and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service.     

Ultrastructure of muscle spindles in C57BL/6Jdy 2J/dy 2J dystrophic mice

Summary The sensory organs of skeletal muscles, the muscle spindles, were examined using electron microscopy indy ^2J/dy ^2J dystrophic mice. Despite widespread damage to the extrafusal (skeletomotor) fibres the intrafusal (spindle) fibres appeared normal and seemed resistant to the aetiological factors for murine dystrophy.This work was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council and the Science Research Council of Great Britain.     

Effect of Tween 80 on lipids ofMycobacterium phlei ATCC 354

Summary Addition of Tween 80 to the growth medium brings about qualitative and quantitative changes in the lipids ofMycobacterium phlei ATCC 354. The results suggest that Tween 80 itself may be a variant in the system.Acknowledgments. K. R. D. is grateful to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi, for the award of Senior Research Fellowship. This study was supported in part by funds from Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, and University Grants Commision, New Delhi.     

Temperature dependence of neurotransmitter release in the antarctic fishPagothenia borchgrevinki

Summary The quantal contents of endplate potentials from extraocular muscles of an antarctic fishPagothenia borchgrevinki were measured over a range of temperatures. Quantal release was maximal at about 5°C but showed little dependence on temperature between –2°C and 10°C. Above 10°C quantal content declined until release ceased about 18°C. In view of the fact that the ambient temperature at which these fish live is constant at –1.9°C, the results suggest thatPagothenia borchgrevinki is only partially adapted to its environment despite 25 million years acclimatization.The authors wish to thank the staff of New Zealand's Scott Base, Antarctica, without whose cooperation the work would have been impossible. Mr J. Quinn of the Auckland University Physiology Department gave invaluable assistance with computing and electronics and the Antarctic Division of the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research provided transportation and logistic support. The project was financially supported by the New Zealand University Grants Committee and the Auckland University Research Committee. S.P. was a Senior Fellow of the N.Z. Medical Research Council.     

Effect of methyl ester of aristolic acid fromAristolochia indica Linn. on fertility of female mice

Summary Methyl ester of aristolic acid, a pure compound isolated from the roots ofAristolochia indica (Linn.), was found to exert 100% abortifacient activity at a single oral dose of 60 mg/kg b. wt when administered on 6th or 7th day of pregnancy; 20 and 25% abortifacient effect were observed at the same dose on day 10 and 12, respectively.The authors wish to thank Dr S.C. Pakrashi and his associate Mr P.P. Ghosh Dastidar for the compound. Thanks are also due to the Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research for granting a fellowship to one of them (C.S.).     

Enantiomeric cannabinoids: stereospecificity of psychotropic activity

Summary The 1,1-dimethylheptyl homolog of (–)-(3R,4R)-7-hydroxy-delta-6-tetrahydrocannabinol (compoundII) is highly psychotropic in mice, rats and pigeons. The (+)-(3S,4S) enantiomer (III) was found to be psychotropically inactive at doses up to several thousand times those of the ED₅₀ of (II).We thank Dr A. Breuer and Mrs H. Amsalem for help with the syntheses. The research reported above was supported in Tucson by NIH grant NS 15441; in Uppsala by grants from the Swedish Medical Research Council (5757) and the Swedish Council for the Planning and Coordination of Research (84/2082); in Jerusalem by the Szold Foundation.Presented in part at a meeting at the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, Washington, D.C., October 1986, see NIDA Research Monographs79 (1987) 15.     

Isolation of a potent allergen from house dust mite by interaction with the lectin tridacnin

Summary Tridacnin, the lectin from the clamTridacna maxima, precipitates with house dust mite extracts and provides a simple procedure for obtaining a potent, purified mite allergen. Allergenic activity was investigated using the radioallergosorbent test (RAST).We thankKarin Williams, Jill Butler, Elizabeth Quinn andGisela Steinhausen for technical help. This work was supported by the Princess Margaret Children's Medical Research Foundation, the Asthma Foundation of Western Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Effect of the extracts fromAristolochia indica Linn. on interception in female mice

Summary The crude petroleum ether, chloroform and alcoholic extracts of the roots ofAristolochia indica (Linn.) showed 100% interceptive activity in mature female mice at the single dose of 100 mg/kg body wt. The follow-up studies with the chloroform extract showed the most significant effect in the basic part and two acidic fractions at the single dose levels of 50 mg/kg body wt. No toxic effect was observed at the dose levels used.The authors are thankful to Mr.P. P. Ghosh Dastidar, Medicinal Chemistry Division for the plant extracts. Thanks are also due to Indian Council of Medical Research and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for granting scholarships to two of them (B.C. and A.D.) and to Prof.R. N. Chakravarti, Director of the Institute for encouragement.     

Effect of chlorpromazine and reserpine on the blood platelets of rabbit

Zusammenfassung Chlorpromazin und Reserpin verursachen 5HT-Freisetzung von Thrombocyten. Chlorpromazin verursacht auch morphologische, elektronenoptisch sichtbare Veränderungen der Thrombocyten.

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This investigation was supported in part by The Finnish Council of Medical Research and by U.S. Public Health Service Research Grant M-5832, from the National Institute of Mental Health.     

Stretch receptors in the eye muscles of a teleost fish

Summary Extraocular muscles of a teleost fish,Girella tricuspidata, contain a predominantly phasic stretch receptor, which consists of fine beaded nerve terminals within the red portion of the muscle.The authors are grateful to Mr V. Straznik for supplying the fish, and to Mrs M. Fisher for histological assistance. Financial support for this work was received from the New Zealand Medical Research Council and the Auckland University Research Committee and University Grants Committee.     

Phosphatase activity in testis and prostate of rats treated with embelin andVinca rosea extract

Summary Daily administration ofVinca rosea Linn. extract orally and embelin s.c. to male albino rats caused significant rise in levels of acid and alkaline phosphatases of testis and prostate indicating altered metabolic function.We acknowledge the financial support by Indian Council of Medical Research and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. Thanks are due to Dr J. Bahadur, School of Studies in Zoology, Jiwaji University, Gwalior for providing laboratory facilities.     

On some interesting features of the hypothalamo-hypophysial vascularization in the lizardHemidactylus flaviviridis

Zusammenfassung Tuscheinjektion lässt Verbindungen der Kapillarnetze in Medinalobus mit denen des Neurallobus der Hypophyse bei einer Eidechse erkennen. Der Intermediärteil ist ganz ohne Gefässe, was im Hinblick auf einen möglichen Hormonfluss von Interesse ist.

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The authors are indebted to Dr.K. N. Udupa, Director, Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr.L. M. Singh, Officer in charge of the laboratory for providing facilities and encouragement. One of us (S.H.) is grateful to the Indian Council of Medical Research for the award of a postdoctoral fellowship, during the tenure of which this work was carried out.     

Release of plasminogen activator from normal and neoplastic endometrium

Summary In the medium of endometrial carcinoma cultures, anti-urokinase-reacting plasminogen activator was released in contrast to cultures of normal or hyperplastic endometrium.This investigation was supported by grants from Malmö General Hospital, the Council for Tobacco Research, USA and the Swedish Medical Research Council (B79-17X-04523-05B).     

In vitro metabolism of progesterone by the adrenals of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Zusammenfassung Der Einbau des¹⁴C-Progesterons in Corticosteroide bei Nebennierensegmenten von Wistar-Ratten mit spontaner Hypertonie unterscheidet sich in nichts vom Einbau bei Nebennieren der Kontrollratten, was im Gegensatz zu Befunden mit regenerierten Nebennieren steht. Eine kausale Beziehung zwischen Nebennierenrindenfunktion und spontanem Hochdruck scheint ausgeschlossen zu sein.

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Dr. M. K.Birmingham is a Medical Research Associate of the Medical Research Council of Canada. This work was supported by grants from the Medical Research Council of Canada and the 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Committee for Research in Dementia Praecox. The authors thank Dr. R. A.Cleghorn for his interest in this project.     

Phosphatases ofMycobacterium 607

Zusammenfassung Die Phosphatase(n)-Aktivität der zellfreien Extrakte vonMycobacterium 607 wurde untersucht und Pyrophosphat, ATP, ADP und Fructose-1,6-diphosphat hydrolisiert. Eigene Eigenschaften der Phosphatasen wurden studiert. Auch wurde nachgewiesen, dass die Hydrolyse von ATP und ADP durch mindestens zwei verschiedene Enzyme hervorzurufen ist.

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Supported in part by funds from Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi and Grant No. E-3427, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases U.S.P.H.S. Thanks are due to Dr.R. Viswanathan for his interest in this work.     

A bioluminescent assay for aldehyde sex pheromones of insects

Summary Aldehyde dependent bacterial luciferases respond quantitatively to ng quantities of aldehyde pheromones from insects. The luminescent response is the basis for a quantitative assay used to analyse sex pheromone from several sources including individual female moths.This investigation was supported by a U.S.D.A. Forest Service Program entitled Canada United States Spruce Budworms Program (23–345) and the Medical Research Council of Canada (MT-4314).     

Antipyresis following perfusion of brain sites with vasopressin

Summary Vasopressin was found to be an effective antipyretic when it was perfused through discrete regions of the brain of the sheep.Supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada. N.W.K. is a predoctoral student of the M.R.C.